The Emerald Tide by Davis Bunn is the sixth book in the Miramar Bay series. The stories in this series can be read as stand alone as they all rotate around a place in central California on the coast. This novel’s main character lives in a cottage in Miramar.

Derek Gaines, a widower, has slowly begun to find peace after his wife’s death. He is an art historian and a bit of a treasure hunter. (More urbane than Indiana Jones.) He has been brought in to help with a piece of art. He is drawn into the mystery by a couple of friends.

In this quest, he finds Kelly Reid. A woman who may open up his heart to a new love. She is a top executive for Christies’ Los Angeles. Together, they with help from a surprising source, take on a task to help Gwen pay off her bills while tracking down what her son was looking for. Their main task however is to find the provenance of a piece of art; a piece of art, not finished and not seen before, and perhaps even very expensive.

Together they travel to find the information while making a documentary as cover. The story is one of resilience, patience and breathtaking pieces of art. The book is listed as romance, intrigue and art. A book that has intrigue without the main characters being chased with guns. It has romance without a word of love spoken and it has art. I would suggest to you that it is a cozy romantic thriller about the art world.

I really enjoyed reading this book and must confess I read it in one day. This is the third book I have read in this series and as alway I found myself just enjoying the story telling of the author. I enjoyed the characters, the intrigue and the information about Caravaggio. The Emerald Tide by Davis Bunn is a good read.

I have mixed feelings on this title by Davis Bunn. There were so many intricate details to the story so I had trouble following at some point. And the cast of characters was lengthy. If you want to invest yourself in the details of the art world, then you'll love this book.

A somewhat disappointing read, this had the potential to be a good story but I don’t feel it is his best. On one level it appeared shallow, with its over-emphasis on characters’ traffic-stopping good looks &/or being super-rich, but on another level the conversations were quite deep : it could probably have ‘passed’ if from another writer, but I have higher expectations of Davis Bunn. There was nothing overtly Christian about it. The book was hard to get into – it took a long time to feel engaged with a character, with the story not always clear & no proper ending – we are not even told what the final ‘treasures’ were. This could have been so much better. 3 1/2 stars

The Emerald Tide is the sixth book in the Miramar Bay series. The author has a gift in describing setting and emotion. You understand how the characters feel and see the world through their eyes. The settings are glorious and the topic interesting, and I enjoyed the book overall.

Engaging on multiple levels. An enthralling story of art and history, relationships, mystery and gentle romance. This is a clean romance and appropriate for all readers.

Thank you Netgalley and Kensington Books for an eARC.

I read this book, unaware that it was part of a series, with The Emerald Tide being the sixth book in the Miramar Bay series.

This story follows Derek Gains, an art history professor, whose wife has died sometime before the beginning of the book. He meets Kelly Reid and is intrigued when she reaches out to him to establish the provenance of a possible Caravaggio painting.

The other part of the story follows Kelly Reid, who has personal family issues of her own, one where her mother shows great disappointment in her, favouring her sister who has a family of her own, and Kelly's own ex-husband,

You"ll learn a bit about the art business in this slow-burn clean romance.

Derek Gaines, a professor of art history, has been living half a life since his wife died but he's intrigued when Kelly Reid reaches out to him to help establish the provenance of a possible Caravaggio painting. He's good at tracking stolen painting and this one raises red flags. Kelly's also got some issues, albeit more in terms of trust. You"ll learn a bit about the art business in this slow burn clean romance. The characters are good as is the storytelling. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

The Emerald Tide is book 6 in the “Miramar” series. I had read the first book in this series and was not impressed. I passed on the others until number six popped up on NetGalley. The story sounded intriguing enough that I decided to give it another try since Davis Bunn is one of my favorite authors. Thank goodness I did! Once again, I was completely spell-bound by the way this man writes. Reading this book makes you feel like you’re part of a momentous event. Everything he describes becomes something special. I liked the characters, their back stories, the mystery (I initially had no idea where this was going) and the wisp of a love story. I also love how he uses art and true historical events to guide his plot. Learning more about the Getty was super interesting. As always, his research is impeccable. This book has the same flavor as his early works such as the Priceless Collection. I read them while living in America (as a European) and these books allowed me to walk the streets of Europe and treasure my heritage. Although Mr. Bunn has written many Christian novels, this one does not mention christianity explicitly, but it is clean. I just wish it was thicker, I wasn’t done reading! If you like a mix of mystery, history, art, and Europe, this is the book for you!


Thank you Kensington Books and NetGalley for making an ARC available to me, I was not required to leave a positive review.

Overall I loved the premise and mystery of this book. Tracking down stolen art and lost treasure is an easy plot to fall into, and so this was enjoyable for the most part.

However, I didn’t feel this was one of Bunn’s stronger works. The writing felt dialed in, the plot wasn’t as honed or thrilling as one would expect for this type of story, and the dialogue didn’t seem believable.

Again, I found it interesting, but it could have been much stronger.

Readers who love art and art history will thoroughly enjoy this story. Mystery, intrigue and treasure hunting. Will Gwen be able to save her fortune? Will Derek heal after his wife's death. All this and more will keep readers engaged to the end. Not being an art lover, I found the storyline hard to follow at times.

A learning to live and love again story. Derek and Kelly are characters you want to be together and have a HEA. Didn’t realize it was part of a series, but overall wasn’t lost. Would recommend.

Oh, this is a good one! I’ve never read anything by Bunn before, but I was immediately drawn into this very special novel. It incorporates modern fiction, romance and history. I also enjoyed a peek into the world of art collection, museums and auction galleries.

The author focuses on 2 well-drawn main characters, both extremely likable. Derek Gaines is a man of extraordinary brilliance, integrity and loyalty, bereft over the loss of his wife. Kelly Reid is a beautiful accomplished member of the art world. She is reeling from an ugly divorce and a distant, judgmental mother. The reader will root for both of them.

The author has clearly done immense research into this complex world. As a reader, I enjoyed the sharp writing and the insights I got into the game of treasure hunting and the rivalry and intensity of collectors.

I highly recommend this book to all my readers. I think learned from it, as I enjoyed every page!

Thank you Netgalley for this wonderful read.

3.5 stars
Davis Bunn has written yet again a powerful and emotional story about learning to live and love again. What a wonderful book!

I really expected a lot from this author and was not disappointed in the first half of the book. After that, my interest somehow waned. I tend to get really irritated when the male (and the female) protagonists are repeatedly described as being beautiful. Also, I felt that certain phrases are repeated too often - though I am sure those will be edited out in the final copy?

Other than that, there were some really gripping and engrossing moments. I learned something about art history and about the artist - Caravaggio - whom I didn't know existed. It was fun to google and learn more tit bits about him.

The Emerald Tide is the sixth book in the Miramar Bay series. I've only read the first book in the series ([book:Miramar Bay|31077370]) which I loved. However, other than Miramar Bay being our main character's home, little in The Emerald Tide is connected to the first book. In fact, very little of this book even takes place in Miramar Bay. All said, this can be read completely separate from the series.

The author has a gift in describing setting and emotion. You understand how the characters feel and see the world through their eyes. But unlike the first book, I didn't really connect with Derek and Kelly. The settings are glorious and the topic interesting, and I enjoyed the book overall.

This is a clean romance and appropriate for all readers.

The Emerald Tide is a great addition to Davis Bunn's Miramar Bay series. This one is by far my favorite of the series. Four and a half stars.

I love Davis Bunn’s books. This is a new Miramar Bay book in which little takes place in Miramar. A wealthy woman’s husband died leaving so much debt, Gwen will lose everything. Her son left her a painting he said would restore her fortune, but now he’s dead and not likely accidentally. Art historian Derek Gaines teams with Kelly Reid of Christies to determine the painting’s provenance and maybe find more treasure.
Like all Davis’ books, the characters have a lot of inner angst. Derek’s wife died and he has a hard time moving on. Kelly’s ex continually strayer and her mother wants her to take him back. There’s a lot to learn about art history here, and a lot that went over my head. Still, it’s a book you don’t want to put down.

Thank you NetGalley for the grand opportunity to review a Davis Bunn eBook.

At first, I was hesitant because it was about art and I have personally never been drawn to such stories. I selected this title, because I have read a couple novels in this series and I loved the cover of this one. The book is a work of fiction, but offered some past history that I really enjoyed too.

The main characters, Derek and Kelly were a great team and his late wife, Erin. Although, the story didn’t go into much detail about Erin, it shared many memories throughout the story that I greatly enjoyed and I was able to feel connected to Erin, as if she were in the story herself.

Also, I enjoyed the action packed side of the storyline too and living on the edge with trying to piece the story together. If you’re like me, and not much into art- it doesn’t really matter because the story has enough mystery to keep you flipping through the pages.

This is a new addition to Bunn’s Miramar Bay series – although the books in this series are more loosely connected than what I usually expect from a series (so you don’t have to read them in order). A few characters show up in more than one book, but each book is quite different from the others.

The Emerald Tide fits in with one of the “constants” of the series – the male lead deals with some sort of loss – end of a beloved career, health challenges, addictions, and in this book, death of a loved one – and has to figure out how to heal and live life in a new way. I appreciated the insights into coping and healing strategies.

Some of the books have most of the action taking place in Miramar Bay, but The Emerald Tide only starts there, and goes much further abroad than the others, with two of the main characters spending a good part of the story in Europe. Most of the lead characters also have strong ties to Los Angeles, but much prefer to escape to Miramar Bay.

Another constant is romance, but usually with many obstacles to be overcome. In The Emerald Tide, there’s the added tension of two men wanting the same woman.

I enjoyed reading this book, although I know little about art history and antiques and hunting the treasure of stolen art. Bunn makes it all come alive and keeps up the reader’s interest.

I always enjoy Bunn’s descriptions of weather, sunrises, places, people, challenges to be met, reactions to other characters, life in Los Angeles, and the central California coast.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
#EmeraldTide #NetGalley

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

This book is full of rich descriptions, a large cast of characters, complicated plot, and well researched in art history. I would describe this as a deep read. I would even say it deserves to be read more than once. The ending is abrupt. But I would also say it is real. I supplied the details in my own head.

My least favorite part was the intricate details of the Catholic church. I guess one cannot extricate the church from art history because they are tangled together.

Derek, riding his bike in the dawn hours
Consultant, and tracking stolen art..fills his days
Request from an unknown woman to meet her
She received an unsigned , unfinished painting
Would the value, enable to keep the same life style
On his journey is Kelly, Vice President at the gallery
Interesting plot, to find out the answers of this art
While time together may bring love
Interesting and kept one’s interest.
Given ARC by Kensington and Net Galley
for my voluntary review and my honest opinion.